Portable terminal devices such as a handheld terminals, etc. have been used as a tool for managing inventory and tracking the sales of a commodity. A handheld terminal requires a scanner for reading a barcode, etc. printed on a commodity. Additionally, some handheld terminals require a printing function for bills, etc. depending on their purposes, and printing units are built into the tips of the terminals.
For a handheld terminal having a scanner, the scanner is built into the tip of the main body of the device so that a barcode, etc. is easily scanned when the terminal is held in hand. Accordingly, a handheld terminal, whose printing unit is built into the tip of the main body of the device, adopts a structure where a scanner unit is separate from the main body, and the main body and the scanner unit are connected with a cable.
However, if a scanner and a handheld terminal are separated, a barcode must be scanned by respectively holding the handheld terminal in one hand and the scanner in the other, leading to very poor usability.